It is difficult to imagine a modern life without lockable enclosures and, particularly, portable lockable enclosures. Such lockable enclosures including, for example, a briefcase, a suitcase, a portable safe and the like are typically used for storing and safe transportation of documents, jewelry, personal belongings and the like. Practically, all of these enclosures have latch assemblies of different types, some of which employ electronically operated locks that serve to prevent unauthorized access to an enclosure's interior. A reliable latch assembly for a lockable enclosure becomes even more important when the latter stores a firearm.
The art does supply a number of small portable safes, which may be easily carried by owners while they are travelling.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,826 to Butler discloses an electronically operated gun safe which has a drawer removably positioned with a housing to move to an open position to allow access to the contents of the drawer. This patent further describes an electronic code entry means and a processor means positioned in an interior and responsive the electronic code means for releasing a locking means to provide access to the drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,822 to Adkins discloses a spring loaded ejectable drawer containing a firearm and slidably mounted within a housing. The drawer bears against a closed door of the housing, so that, upon opening of the door, the ejectable drawer is forced outwardly to present the firearm for grasping.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,589 to Cordero discloses a storage body for receiving a firearm and formed with a door, a plurality of grooves inside the storage body surrounding the door to permit it to move inwardly to an opening position. This patent further describes a spring biasing means for holding the door tightly against the storage body that is releasable by a hidden latch mechanism accessible from outside the body and opening the door.
It has been noticed that some of the locking mechanisms tend to voluntary release its latches when the portable safes are accidentally dropped or even deliberately positioned on its rear portions.